Workshop | Moritz Wesp, Eric Haupt and Victor Gelling: oscheat

oscheat is a work-in-progress multi-user interface based on OSC. Its purpose is to simplify and formalise shared, real-time control of musical parameters across an ensemble. Instead of separating instruments by performer, oscheat functions as a collective parameter space in which all participants can change each other’s instrument sound generation, spatialization, tonal systems or rhythmic structures.
For the workshop, a predefined set of addressable instruments has been prepared for each instance of oscheat. They are structured into three functional sections reflecting core Musical building blocks: synthesizers for melodic and harmonic material, sequencers for rhythmic organization, and samplers for vocal and sound-based material. Additional functionality includes real-time MIDI recording and looping, pitch mapping with support for alternative tunings, spatialization, and global macro controls for large-scale structural manipulation.
Following a short system introduction, participants engage in practical structured improvisation exercises exploring the capabilities of oscheat. In these scenarios, they explore how shared control affects thematic development, synchronicity, polyphony, and formal coherence in a networked music performance. The workshop examines how shared control reshapes authorship, musical responsibility, and aesthetic decision-making within an ensemble, and which new possible music making strategies are emerging from such a system.

Requirements

No prior knowledge required; useful but not required is having some experience with playing improvised music and with sound synthesis;
attendees can bring their own laptop to install a demo version of oscheat for local testing.
The demo version is available here.

About the workshop facilitators

Moritz Wesp lives in Cologne (GER) and plays trombone, virtual trombone and other instruments that he designs, programs and builds. As an improviser he is working with different ensembles like Mariá Portugal Erosao, Matthias Muche’s Bonecrusher or Simon Rummel. Besides this he composes music and is part of the Audio-VR project Sona.
More about Moritz here.

Eric Haupt is a guitarist and composer working in experimental music and punk. He completed his Bachelor of Music at the HfMT Cologne in 2018. He is a founding member of the ensembles Now My Life Is Sweet Like Cinnamon and Lawn Chair, as well as the initiator of the experimental game-show performance Sport1. His Music has been presented at festivals throughout Europe and collaborations include internationally renowned producers Olaf O.P.A.L. and Chris Coady. His punk compositions have been broadcast on international Radio stations such as BBC Radio 6 Music

Victor Gelling is an improviser and composer who uses stringed instruments including but not limited to upright bass, tenor banjo, Pedalsteel- and Nonpedalsteel-Guitars in addition to pedals, synthesizers and barely working self-coded computer programs to create sounds. Their work spans genres from jazz to noise to electric Cowboy songs to complex music, which culminates in their large ensemble works with Trash & Post-Chaotic Music, their alt-country/post-punk alias Slowklahoma, solo works or their playing in the Jorik Bergman Trio.
More about Victor here.

Together they are forming the ensemble Now My Life Is Sweet Like Cinnamon and are working together in the interdisciplinary Gameshow project Sport1.